Sumatra Earthquake

India issued a tsunami warning for Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the eastern coast on Wednesday after a 8.7 magnitude quake in Indonesia shook major cities, causing panic and sending people fleeing onto the streets.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service issued a red
high-level warning for the islands, and also put out lower alerts for the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

India’s tsunami warning center said waves measuring up to 6 metres were expected along parts of its eastern coast, which was heavily hit by the 2004 tsunami. Smaller waves were expected to hit the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred 33 kilometres beneath the ocean floor around 495 kilometres from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

Said, an official at Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency who goes by only one name, said a tsunami warning has been issued.

5 PM IST

Multiple aftershocks were reported, the largest of magnitude 8.2. TOI reports that the Tsunami warning was withdrawn:

India today said there was no likelihood of tsunami tidal waves being formed anywhere in the Indian Ocean region after an earthquake of 8.7 magnitude hit waters off western coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia.

Intially, the Earth sciences ministry and the National Disaster Management Authority issued a tsuanmi warning for Andaman and Nicobar Island and an alert to coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Later, in subsequent bulletions, the two organisations virtually ruled out tsunami in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and elsewhere in the country.

“There is no specific threat. It was a watch and alert. There is no likelihood of any tsunami in the Indian Ocean region,” NDMA Vice President Sashidhar Reddy told PTI. He said the earthquake that struck the Sumatra islands was not the kind of tremors that usually triggers tsunami tidal waves.

12 April, 2012

The Indian Ocean area is intensely alert about earthquakes after the quake and tsunami of 2004. A positive effect was reported by the Hindu:

There were no immediate reports of fatalities as a result of the quake. A prison in Aceh Besar district suffered serious damaged.
…
“According to preliminary reports four people were lightly injured and one bridge collapsed,” agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said.